Teaching is a profession in which you need to know your surroundings before you begin. You need to research the community, district, and specific school that you wish to be work in. However, you don't always wind up in the school you want to work in, so it's good to know the entire district and surounding districts you'll be working in. Characteristics such as teacher qualification, state funding, or the make-up of students are all important aspects to research before entering the work force. It's good to know what you're getting into before you begin teaching so you realize that you've chosen the wrong district and have to start over from square one. Westerly is a very "Italian", conservative, and close-knit commuity and therefore sometimes proves difficult to find a teaching job. However, it is a diamond in the rough, once you do your research and preprare yourself for what lies ahead you will be greatly rewarded.
Community Background
The town of Westerly is in a suburban setting, there is farmland as well as a busy downtown area. Because this town is located on the coast, the population 21,826 person population increases, creating a very different demographic.(Westerly's Municipal Site, 2007) This report however is based solely on the year round population and its characteristics. Westerly is a generally safe town, on a scale of 1 -10 (with 10 as the highest) the violent (murder and nonnegligent manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault) crime rate is 3 which is equal to the U.S. violent crime rate. (Best Places, 2007) However, while the U.S's property crime rate remains at a 3, Westerly's raises to a 5. The average age of citizens in Westerly is 40.5 years of age with 53.69% of them married and 8.79% divorced. Of the married couples, 20.54% have children and 7.89% of the singles in Westerly also have children, making the average household size is 2.33 people.(Best Places, 2007) There is very little diversity in Westerly with 93.63% of the population claiming to be White, 0.71% Black, 2.81% Asian, 0.55% Native American, and 1.57% claiming to be "other."(Best Places, 2007)
The per capita income of Westerly residents, including children and adults is $27,669. The income per household however is $51,139 per year, which is higher than the state average.(Best Places, 2007) The job market is on the rise which means there is little unemployment; about %3.6 which is 1.2% lower than the U.S. unemployment rate. 25% of these residents who are 25 years and older have a bachelor's degree or advanced college degree which is about average for the state.(Best Places, 2007)
Overall, the community is very involved with its school district.(Information that Works, 2007) Every year, there is a education fair held in the middle of the town to display what students of all ages are learning and doing in and out of their classrooms.(Westerly School District, 2007) Westerly Is Learning displays projects that students have prepared, student based performances, or even allow people to talk with some of the high school's successful athletic teams. People of all ages throughout the town come out to support local schools and students.
District Summary
In the Westerly School District there are 7 schools including 4 elementary, 1 middle, and 1 high school. Within this district there are 347 teachers which is 60 teachers more than the state average.(NCES, 2007) The student teacher ratio 11.6 students to every 1 teacher.(NCES, 2007) In the special education program is very good in this district. There are almost enough specialists to have 1 on 1 with every student in the special education program. The distrect director not only knows the name of every student in her program but also the family of every child.(Interview, 2007) However, the state and/or country is changing how the program is run which can only lead to a negative outcome such as less IEPs and less assistant attention per child. Poor state funding is also contributing to this change in the special education program.(Interview, 2007)
The state funding is $8,824,000 and decreasing, which is the source of many problems in the Westery school district.(NCES, 2007) The transportation is one of the biggest problems. Some students have to wait an hour for a bus ride home. Not only that but the district does not have the capacity to host vocational programs so they are forced to transport (which ia already tight on budget and schedule) students to the neighboring district, Chariho.
On a more positive note, the curriculum used in the district is found to be very effective by teachers. They now use a program called "Investigations" that is being upgraded by the NCLB Act to be more rigorous and encompass more skills that the kids will need in the future. The teacher qualifications have also just been upgraded so non-tenured teacher are evaluated more per year to gain more feedback for the future.(interview, 2007) They now have 4 evaluations per year; "pop" (unannounced) evaluations, 1 "live" (announced) evaluation, and 1 taped evaluation in which the teacher tapes him/herself giving a lesson. Teachers are also given a new option instead of going back for their masters degree within 5 years. They now have to finish an "iplan" (taken from the state of Connecticut) where they are given 5 years to keep a log of and achieve 3 self-administered educational goals.(Interview, 2007)
School Analysis
State Street School was first built as an oveflow school to keep kids until the core elementary schools were enlarged. However, so many people were happy with the outcome of the school, that they kept it as a regular elementary school.(interview, 2007) Due to this, the student to teacher ratio is still slightly lower than the state's as well as the district's at 9 students to every teacher. (Information That Works, 2007) Of all 90% are White, 4% are Black, 4% are Asian, and 2% are of another ethnicity. Only 1% of these students are receiving ESL/bilingual eduational while 5.7% of students across the state are recieving language services.(Iformation That Works, 2007)
No matter the ethnicity or economic backround of the students, in my experience, the students were very well behaved. The school uses "Swell Cards" which, if accumulation allows, can be used for a second recess, and works well to encourage good behavior. If a child did raise a problem it was dealt with in a timely and well fashioned manner. Not only that, but I as well as teachers, have found SSS to be safer and more health aware than other elementary schools in the district and state.(Information That Works, 2007)
The students of SSS received scores slighlty below the state standards in writing, similar to state standards in reading, and slightly above state standards in math.(Information That works, 2007) Overall, the school has been classified as a high performing school. According to a present teacher, the the curriculum being used now ("Investigations") is good but becoming more rigorous and encompassing more skills students will use in the future due to the NCLB Act.(Interview, 2007) The most predominant problem in the school is the lack of funding. Many teachers and parents would like to see more after school programs for things such as preparing students for big tests, but there isn't enough money to support the program or pay for transportation.(Interview, 2007)
Conclusion
Though this community, district, and school offers very little diversity and is relatively safe, it does not mean that it will make for an easy teaching career. Westerly offers its own challenges which are unique to its inhabitants and surroundings. Because State Street School and most of the schools in the district are somewhat small, as a teacher you will be able to build many lasting relationships with the students and maybe even give each of them a little more individualized education. As a parent, I would feel very confident in enrollng my child in this school. It's safe, somewhat small and individualized, and academically successful.
State Street Elementary School
Introduction
Teaching is a profession in which you need to know your surroundings before you begin. You need to research the community, district, and specific school that you wish to be work in. However, you don't always wind up in the school you want to work in, so it's good to know the entire district and surounding districts you'll be working in. Characteristics such as teacher qualification, state funding, or the make-up of students are all important aspects to research before entering the work force. It's good to know what you're getting into before you begin teaching so you realize that you've chosen the wrong district and have to start over from square one. Westerly is a very "Italian", conservative, and close-knit commuity and therefore sometimes proves difficult to find a teaching job. However, it is a diamond in the rough, once you do your research and preprare yourself for what lies ahead you will be greatly rewarded.Community Background
The town of Westerly is in a suburban setting, there is farmland as well as a busy downtown area. Because this town is located on the coast, the population 21,826 person population increases, creating a very different demographic.(Westerly's Municipal Site, 2007) This report however is based solely on the year round population and its characteristics. Westerly is a generally safe town, on a scale of 1 -10 (with 10 as the highest) the violent (murder and nonnegligent manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault) crime rate is 3 which is equal to the U.S. violent crime rate. (Best Places, 2007) However, while the U.S's property crime rate remains at a 3, Westerly's raises to a 5. The average age of citizens in Westerly is 40.5 years of age with 53.69% of them married and 8.79% divorced. Of the married couples, 20.54% have children and 7.89% of the singles in Westerly also have children, making the average household size is 2.33 people.(Best Places, 2007) There is very little diversity in Westerly with 93.63% of the population claiming to be White, 0.71% Black, 2.81% Asian, 0.55% Native American, and 1.57% claiming to be "other."(Best Places, 2007)
The per capita income of Westerly residents, including children and adults is $27,669. The income per household however is $51,139 per year, which is higher than the state average.(Best Places, 2007) The job market is on the rise which means there is little unemployment; about %3.6 which is 1.2% lower than the U.S. unemployment rate. 25% of these residents who are 25 years and older have a bachelor's degree or advanced college degree which is about average for the state.(Best Places, 2007)
Overall, the community is very involved with its school district.(Information that Works, 2007) Every year, there is a education fair held in the middle of the town to display what students of all ages are learning and doing in and out of their classrooms.(Westerly School District, 2007) Westerly Is Learning displays projects that students have prepared, student based performances, or even allow people to talk with some of the high school's successful athletic teams. People of all ages throughout the town come out to support local schools and students.
District Summary
In the Westerly School District there are 7 schools including 4 elementary, 1 middle, and 1 high school. Within this district there are 347 teachers which is 60 teachers more than the state average.(NCES, 2007) The student teacher ratio 11.6 students to every 1 teacher.(NCES, 2007) In the special education program is very good in this district. There are almost enough specialists to have 1 on 1 with every student in the special education program. The distrect director not only knows the name of every student in her program but also the family of every child.(Interview, 2007) However, the state and/or country is changing how the program is run which can only lead to a negative outcome such as less IEPs and less assistant attention per child. Poor state funding is also contributing to this change in the special education program.(Interview, 2007)
The state funding is $8,824,000 and decreasing, which is the source of many problems in the Westery school district.(NCES, 2007) The transportation is one of the biggest problems. Some students have to wait an hour for a bus ride home. Not only that but the district does not have the capacity to host vocational programs so they are forced to transport (which ia already tight on budget and schedule) students to the neighboring district, Chariho.
On a more positive note, the curriculum used in the district is found to be very effective by teachers. They now use a program called "Investigations" that is being upgraded by the NCLB Act to be more rigorous and encompass more skills that the kids will need in the future. The teacher qualifications have also just been upgraded so non-tenured teacher are evaluated more per year to gain more feedback for the future.(interview, 2007) They now have 4 evaluations per year; "pop" (unannounced) evaluations, 1 "live" (announced) evaluation, and 1 taped evaluation in which the teacher tapes him/herself giving a lesson. Teachers are also given a new option instead of going back for their masters degree within 5 years. They now have to finish an "iplan" (taken from the state of Connecticut) where they are given 5 years to keep a log of and achieve 3 self-administered educational goals.(Interview, 2007)
School Analysis
State Street School was first built as an oveflow school to keep kids until the core elementary schools were enlarged. However, so many people were happy with the outcome of the school, that they kept it as a regular elementary school.(interview, 2007) Due to this, the student to teacher ratio is still slightly lower than the state's as well as the district's at 9 students to every teacher. (Information That Works, 2007) Of all 90% are White, 4% are Black, 4% are Asian, and 2% are of another ethnicity. Only 1% of these students are receiving ESL/bilingual eduational while 5.7% of students across the state are recieving language services.(Iformation That Works, 2007)
No matter the ethnicity or economic backround of the students, in my experience, the students were very well behaved. The school uses "Swell Cards" which, if accumulation allows, can be used for a second recess, and works well to encourage good behavior. If a child did raise a problem it was dealt with in a timely and well fashioned manner. Not only that, but I as well as teachers, have found SSS to be safer and more health aware than other elementary schools in the district and state.(Information That Works, 2007)
The students of SSS received scores slighlty below the state standards in writing, similar to state standards in reading, and slightly above state standards in math.(Information That works, 2007) Overall, the school has been classified as a high performing school. According to a present teacher, the the curriculum being used now ("Investigations") is good but becoming more rigorous and encompassing more skills students will use in the future due to the NCLB Act.(Interview, 2007) The most predominant problem in the school is the lack of funding. Many teachers and parents would like to see more after school programs for things such as preparing students for big tests, but there isn't enough money to support the program or pay for transportation.(Interview, 2007)
Conclusion
Though this community, district, and school offers very little diversity and is relatively safe, it does not mean that it will make for an easy teaching career. Westerly offers its own challenges which are unique to its inhabitants and surroundings. Because State Street School and most of the schools in the district are somewhat small, as a teacher you will be able to build many lasting relationships with the students and maybe even give each of them a little more individualized education. As a parent, I would feel very confident in enrollng my child in this school. It's safe, somewhat small and individualized, and academically successful.References
- (2007, Sept. 27). Municipal Website for Westerly. Retrieved October 5, 2007, Web site: http://westerly.govoffice.com/index.asp?Type=B_BASIC&SEC={64E09469-6C72-4908-A143-F9649C927A45}
- (2007). Retrieved October 6, 2007, Web site: http://nces.ed.gov/ccd/districtsearch/district_detail.asp?start=0&ID2=4401170
- Teacher Anonymous, personal communication, September 30, 2007
- (2007). Sperling's BestPlaces. Retrieved October 8, 2007, Web site: http://www.bestplacess.net/zip-code/Westerly_RI-70289100020.aspx%3E.|http://www.bestplacess.net/zip-code/Westerly_RI-70289100020.aspx
- (2007). Information That Works. Retrieved October 7, 2007, from State Street Elementary Web site: http://infoworks.ride.uri.edu/2007/queries/FindSch.asp
(2007). Westerly Public School District. Retrieved October 25, 2007, Web site: http://westerly.k12.ri.usPeer Edit 1
CR EVAL - RACHEL M